The Love of an Orange
Translated By Chana Bloch
An orange did love
The man who ate it.
A feast for the eyes
Is a fine repast;
Its heart held fast
His greedy gaze.
A citron did scold:
I am wiser than thou.
A cedar condoled:
Indeed thou shalt die!
And who can revive
A withered bough?
The citron did urge:
O fool, be wise.
The cedar did rage:
Slander and sin!
Repent of thy ways
For a fool I despise.
An orange did love
With life and limb
The man who ate it,
The man who flayed it.
An orange did love
The man who ate it,
To its flayer it brought
Flesh for the teeth.
An orange, consumed
By the man who ate it,
Invaded his skin
To the flesh beneath.
Source: Poetry (April 2009)